Dec. 31 (UPI) --
[WARNING]: Spoilers for the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina series finale ahead
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Kiernan Shipka said she was "very surprised" by the show's series finale.
The 21-year-old actress discussed the episode in an interview with Entertainment Tonight published Thursday, the same day the fourth and final part of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was released on Netflix.
Part 4 follows teenage witch Sabrina Spellman (Shipka) and her allies as they take on the Eldritch Terrors, a group of evil ancient entities. In the finale, Sabrina sacrifices herself in order to rid the world of The Void.
"I was very surprised. I think I sort of had the same mentality as everyone else, which was Sabrina can't die. She is Sabrina. She can't die. And then I was like, 'Oh, there's no more pages. I think that's it,'" Shipka said. "But it's a dramatic ending."
"At the end of the day, I think that what it represents is she is a truly selfless soul, and she sacrifices herself for the greater good which is very hefty," she added. "And I think it hit me emotionally quite a bit. It's not an easy ending to just digest. There is a lot of meaning and impact behind it and how we wish to read into that."
After Sabrina dies and ends up in the Sweet Hereafter, her love interest Nick Scratch (Gavin Leatherwood) decides he can't live without her. Nick is met with a "wicked undertow" in the Sea of Sorrows and joins Sabrina in the afterlife.
"The character does not belong to me solely. It belongs to the fans and it belongs to the viewers, and if people wanna watch the finale and think that she ends up in the Sweet Hereafter with Nick, then amazing," Shipka said. "I will say I think she's pretty savvy and could find her way back to Greendale if she chose to. And I think just because I love her so much, that's what I want to think happens."
Shipka said in an interview with MTV published Thursday that she thinks fans will be satisfied with the finale.
"I really think that we approached Part 4 as our last. We wrapped it up. Whether or not people will be satisfied or upset or happy, that is up to the viewer, but I will say that there is a sense of closure. Happy? I don't know. Satisfied, probably," she said.
Shipka said she's happy with the ending but is "feeling bittersweet" about Chilling Adventures of Sabrina coming to a close.
"I think it's such a perfect way to wrap up this epic story that we've been telling for the past few years. I'm going to miss it dearly," she said. "So, all in all, optimistic, excited, sad, all the things."
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is based on the Archie Comics character Sabrina Spellman. The series is executive produced by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and co-stars Ross Lynch, Lucy Davis, Miranda Otto, Chance Perdomo and Jaz Sinclair.
